09/11/2025
Only 20 people were rescued alive from the rubble of the collapsed World Trade Center Twin Towers on September 11 and 12, 2001. This group included individuals who managed to dig themselves out and a team of firefighters who survived inside a stairwell.
When referring to “rubble,” this means after both towers had already fallen and victims were trapped under massive piles of debris—steel, glass, concrete, and dust stacked dozens of feet high. Most survivors were discovered hours after the collapses.
The first photo shows the South Tower collapsing, captured from below, while the close-up image of the North Tower collapse was taken from a nearby apartment rooftop.
Here are 14 of the 20 known survivors who lived through a tower collapse or were buried under the debris:
David Handschuh, a photojournalist, was buried when the South Tower fell. He suffered burns, a shattered leg, and breathing issues before being rescued by FDNY Engine 227. Today, he continues his career in photography, teaching, writing, and speaking.
Tom Canavan, 42, worked on the 47th floor of the South Tower. When the tower collapsed, he and another man were trapped under a fallen cement wall that created a small pocket of safety. Buried under nearly 20 feet of debris, they managed to dig their way up to the surface and escape.
Genelle Guzman-McMillan, 31, from the North Tower, was on the 13th-floor stairwell when the building collapsed. She was buried for almost 27 hours, making her the last person found alive at Ground Zero. Sadly, the colleagues with her did not survive.
Pasquale Buzzelli, 34, from the 64th floor of the North Tower, was evacuating when the tower fell. He curled up against a stairwell wall and braced for death. Miraculously, he landed on a small ledge 40 feet above ground, surviving with minor injuries. His daughter, Hope, was born two months later.
John McLoughlin, 48, and Will Jimeno, 33, both Port Authority officers, were trapped under the concourse between the towers when the South Tower collapsed. They were found after nearly 24 hours under 30 feet of rubble. Jimeno was rescued first; McLoughlin followed later.
Captain Jay Jonas, 43, and five FDNY firefighters from Ladder 6, along with Josephine Harris, 59, were on the 4th floor of the North Tower helping Harris evacuate when the building came down. Miraculously, all seven survived, even though those in the floors above and below perished.
These extraordinary survival stories remain among the most remarkable accounts from 9/11, representing hope amid one of the darkest days in history.
